FR2655753A1 - POSTAGE MACHINE WITH REMOVABLE POSTAGE HEAD. - Google Patents

Abstract

The postage meter has a postage head removably mounted on a fixed base on which it is positioned at a defined location, is locked in place from an external manual control and is electrically connected by two complementary connectors of the head ( 5) and the base (6), which plug into one another. It is characterized in that one of the connectors (26) is movable between a so-called non-plugging position and a so-called plugging position of the connectors (25, 26) and is coupled to the external manual control (30), for the non-plugging of the connectors (25, 26) with the installation of the head (5) and their plugging with the locking of the head.

Description

The present invention relates to postage franking machines

removable postage.

  In franking machines, the franking head essentially comprises a rotary printing head, with adjustable printing elements with different franking values, and means of accounting for financial values and in particular franking made in the machines. The franking head forms a removable portable module on a fixed base of the machine. These machines use a conveyor which transmits the mailpieces to be franked to the franking head. This conveyor is itself powered by a pleat storage magazine equipped with a destacker or is coupled to an automatic mail processing installation,

  ensuring the enveloping of the mail.

  This conveyor is carried by the fixed base, the franking head being mounted on the base, at the end of the conveyor drive means are housed in the fixed base and coupled to the conveyor and the franking head, for their

  suitable training and according to the desired flow rate.

  The possible withdrawal of the franking head allows, if necessary, a transport of the only franking head This is the case in particular for operations related to the financial values recorded in the means of accounting, which are carried out

out of the user's home.

  For the correct mounting of the removable franking head, the latter and the fixed base are equipped with complementary means of positioning the head on the base Manually controlled locking means are associated with them They allow to lock the head in position , for the normal operation of the machine, and

  unlock the head for removal.

  These additional means of positioning the head on the base are for example constituted by a set of fingers protruding under said head and by the same set of holes in a platform of the base, at the end of the carrier This set of projecting fingers the head -2- serves as feet when the head is removed from the base; it is at least three fingers The associated locking means are then constituted, for example, by a mechanism mounted in the base, under the platform, and coupled to the external manual control, and grooves provided on the fingers for this purpose. mechanism This mechanism, placed at the bottom of the grooves, blocks the fingers to prevent their withdrawal from the holes; it allows on the contrary, when it is clear of the throats, the

  Free removal of the fingers from these holes of the platform.

  Moreover, in these same postage franking machines

  Removable chinking, there are two complementary connectors, one on the head and the other on the base, which ensure their electrical connection, for signal exchanges between them These connectors are inserted into one another, when of the positioning of the head on the base, in the current machines they are often damaged by an incorrect presentation of the head on the base Thus, any presentation of the head with an inclination on the base, which can facilitate the insertion of the fingers of the positioning in their holes of the platform of the base, risk of damaging these connectors Damage to the connectors gives rise to their change; he has for

  consequently, the possible non-use of the machine in the meantime.

  The present invention aims to reduce such risks.

  It relates to a franking machine with a removable franking head and fixed base on which is mounted said head, comprising on the head and the base, respectively, firstly, means for positioning the head on the base. , to ensure the establishment of the head at a location defined on said base, on the other hand, two complementary connectors, for the electrical connection of the head and the base by plugging said connectors into one another and in addition, locking means coupled to an external control, for locking the head in its place on the base and for its unlocking, characterized in that one of said first and second connectors is movably mounted between a first position not plugged and a second position of plugging the connectors into one another, and is connected to actuating means to ensure its setting in said first -3- non-plugging position during the m in situ of said head on the base The features and advantages of the present invention

  will become clear during the description given below

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the franking meter with a removable franking head, according to the present invention, the franking head being shown. removed from its position on the machine base, Figure 2 is a schematic elevational view illustrating the equipment of the franking head and the base of the machine according to Figure 1, for mounting the head on the base and 3 is a schematic perspective view of a locking mechanism of the head on said base, simultaneously with its

  connection on the base of said machine according to the invention.

  The postage meter with removable franking head, which is illustrated in Figure 1, is of general organization as

  that such known Its overall description is made succinctly.

  The machine comprises: a storage magazine 1 for receiving a stack of letters to be franked, an unstacking assembly 2 mounted on the front face of the storage magazine 1 which it equips with a unstacker, to deliver the separated letters unitarily, a conveyer 3 to endless conveyor 4, to receive the letters from the magazine equipped with a destacker, a franking head 5, rotary drum printing 5 A, to receive the letters to be franked directly from the carrier, a fixed base 6 carrying the store 1 equipped unstacker and the carrier 3 and on which the franking head 5 forms a

removable mounted module.

  This franking head is shown not mounted on the base 6, on which a location is assigned to it, at the end of the

  A handle 5 B is provided on the head 5.

  The base 6 is at the upper horizontal platform 7 and the rear side portion 8, projecting on the platform The platform defines the plane of advance of the letters along the conveyor and under the head 5 considered in place on the base A cover 9 closes the machine, it has windows suitable for a keyboard 10 and a display screen 11 mounted on the head and for a set of

  control 12, keyboard and associated screen, the machine.

  Rollers 13A and 13B and small intermediate rollers 14 called needles are mounted in the base 6 opposite the conveyor 4, with which they define the conveyor 3 In this base are also mounted a counter roll 15 for the printing drum 5 A head and at least one roller 16 for the magazine equipped with unstacker.

  These rollers are flush on the upper face of the platform.

  The rollers 13A, 13B and the needles 14 are fixed while the conveyor is biased elastically towards them, the conveyor 4 being mounted elastically on a support 17 hinged about a terminal axis 17A, opposite the head The counter roll 15 presents

  as for him an elastic game in the base.

  Drive means are mounted in the base 6 They are schematized globally in 18 They comprise a common motor for the entire machine and, in addition, a clutch for the franking head They are coupled to the rollers 13A, 13 B and 16, the conveyor 4 and the head 5, as schematized by the single coupling connection 18A shown with one of the aforementioned rollers opposite the coupling link with the conveyor, simply specifies that it is connected to a driving pulley carrying the conveyor, which is close to the axis 17A, and that this connection is flexible or cardan coupling The coupling connection with the franking head is connected to a drive pinion 19, which is slightly protruding above the platform 7 and on which engages another pinion of the shaft of the printing drum When the machine is running, the drive of the conveyor 3 is ensured permanently, that of the drum of impres On the other hand, 5 A is ensured for its rotation on a single turn at each postage cycle, through the aforementioned clutch. Detection of the successive letters at their arrival near the head controls the clutch and triggers the

  postage cycle for each letter.

  In FIG. 1, the location on the platform 7 at the end of the conveyor 3 has been indicated by 7A for the postage head 5 In addition to the counter roll 15 and the drive pinion 19 for the head of franking, the location 7 A and the head 5 are equipped with suitable means for the precise positioning of the end-end of the conveyor 3 and for locking it

  in position as well as its electrical connection to the base.

  These means of the base and the head are described with reference to

  Figure 1 or more particularly Figure 2 or 3.

  The head is equipped with four fingers 20, projecting on its bottom 21, which serve as a base when it is removed from the base 6 and serve as positioning and locking elements on the slot 7 A In correspondence the location 7A has four holes 22 to receive the fingers that are inserted These four fingers have a circular groove 23, substantially halfway up each finger, which comes just under the platform 7 when the fingers are

in the holes 22.

  The head 5 is further equipped with a first connector 25 to which a second connector 26 corresponds in the base, for their

electrical connection.

  The connector 25 is on one side of the set of fingers 20, along the lower rear edge of the considered head mounted on the base 6 It is mounted retracted above the bottom 21 of the head, in a housing 28 open on the bottom , which is intended for its effect It is thus

  protected when the head is removed from the base.

  The second connector 26 is arranged comparably with respect to the four holes 22 to face the first connector when the head is in place on the base This connector 26 is retractable in the base 6 through a window 29 provided in the location 7 A of the platform 7 It is slidably mounted vertically in the base; so it can be put in position -6- retracted under the platform, said non-plug position, for the establishment of the head without plugging connectors 25 and 26 either or in the other, or in position raised said insertion position, for plugging connectors and thus the connection of the head and the base, only after the introduction of the head. The raised position of the connector 26 is achieved with the locking of the head 5 on the base 6 Conversely, its retracted position is obtained at the same time as the unlocking of the head on the base A lever 30 articulated at one end around a vertical axis 31 in the base and accessible at the end of the machine (Figure 1), provides this simultaneous control for locking and electrical connection of the head on the base, or for unlocking the head on the base and their disconnection This lever 30 is actuated around its axis 31 along arrow 30 A. It is coupled on the one hand to a locking plate 40 and on the other hand

  part to a support 50 carrying the connector 26.

  The locking plate 40 is mounted under the location 7 A and is movable horizontally along the double arrow 40 A under the platform 7 It has horizontal windows 41, parallel to the arrow 40 A, and is retained on fingers or vertical fixed axes 42 of the base; the play of the axes 42 in the windows 41 allows its movement This plate 40 has four tabs 43 for the four fingers 20; its legs are engaged in the grooves 23 of the fingers 20 of the head or on the contrary to disengage, according to the sense

operating the joystick 30.

  The plate 40 is coupled to the handle by a pin or vertical coupling pin 35 The axis 35 is fixed to the handle that it passes through substantially in its middle and is received in a window 45 of the

  plate, transverse to the windows 41.

  The support 50 of the connector 26 is mounted sliding vertically in the base, according to the arrow 50 A It is constituted by a pair of vertical arms designated by the same reference 50, at the end of which is mounted the connector 26 These arms 50 have vertical windows 51 in which are engaged fingers or horizontal fixed axes 52 of the base The length of the windows 51 gives the -7-

  possible vertical displacement of the connector.

  These vertical arms 50 carry a pair of control rods 54 on the one hand hinged to the arm which carries each of them and on the other hand coupled to each other by a rod or control shaft 55 to which they are This control axis 55 is itself coupled to the fixed axis 35 on the lever 30, for its rotation along the arrow 55 A with the actuation of the lever 30 A first and a second coupling rod 56 and 57 ensure that These link rods are articulated one end to the other Furthermore, the rod 56 is fixed at its other end to the axis 35 and is twisted or deformed for a plane reversal of 900, substantially to mid-length; the rod 57 has meanwhile its other

  end attached to the axis 55 that it drives.

  This positioning control raised from the connector 26 mounted on the base, with the locking of the head 5 on the base 6, avoids any risk of damaging the connectors 25 and 26 when mounting the head on the base It is simple to In addition, it makes it easier to set up the head that no longer needs

  necessarily be presented parallel to the platform.

  Of course, although it is preferable that the retractable connectors is the one mounted in the base, given its control made with the locking of the head whose mechanism is in the base, one can alternatively make mobile the connector of the head and maintain fixed that of the base Under these conditions, one can use, for example, the locking plate to actuate a movable element in the head, which is assigned to the positioning control of its connector This movable element in the head can in particular be one of the fingers protruding under the head, mounted movably through the bottom of the head and then having no more

throat.

  Of course also, the embodiment illustrated in the drawings has been given by way of example and other equivalent embodiments can be adopted without departing

of the scope of the present invention.

_ 8 -

Claims (4)

  1 / franking machine with removable franking head and fixed base on which is mounted said head, comprising on the head and the base, respectively, on the one hand, means for positioning the head on the base, to ensure placing the head at a location defined on said base, on the other hand, two complementary connectors, for the electrical connection of the head and the base, by plugging said connectors into one another and, in in addition, locking means coupled to an external control, for locking the head in its place on the base and for its unlocking, characterized in that one of said first and second connectors (25, 26) is mounted movably between a first non-plug-in position and a second connector plug-in position, and is connected to actuating means (54, 55) to secure it in said first non-plug-in position during the placed e in place of said head (5) on the base (6).   2 / franking machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises coupling means (56, 57) of said actuating means (54, 55) of the movable connector (26) to said external control (30), for putting this movable connector into said second insertion position with the locking of the head and in   said first non-plugging position with its unlocking.   3 / franking machine according to claim 2, and wherein said locking means (40) are mounted in the base o they are coupled to said external control (30), characterized in that the movable connector (26) is that of said base in which are also mounted said actuating means (54, 55) and said   coupling means (56, 57) to said external control.   4 / franking machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the coupling means (56, 57) comprise coupling links hinged together and connected on the one hand to a first axis (35) controlled by said external control ( 30) and secondly to a second control shaft (55) belonging, with at least one associated control rod (54), to said actuating means of the movable connector _ 9 _, said mobile connector being carried by a support (50) mounted with a vertical clearance in said base (6) and controlled according to said play by said actuating means (54, 55), and fading under an upper horizontal platform (7) of said base, on which is defined the location (7 A) of the head, in said first non-plugging position.